inhospitable
Americanadjective
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not inclined to, or characterized by, hospitality, as persons or actions; unfriendly.
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(of a region, climate, etc.) not offering shelter, favorable conditions, etc.; barren.
an inhospitable rocky coast.
adjective
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not hospitable; unfriendly
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(of a region, an environment, etc) lacking a favourable climate, terrain, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inhospitable
1560–70; < Middle French < Medieval Latin inhospitābilis. See in- 3, hospitable
Explanation
Inhospitable places aren't easy or comfortable to live in, and inhospitable people can be downright unfriendly — even hostile. A hotel is particularly inhospitable if it's got uncomfortable beds and grouchy desk clerks. Northern Minnesota is inhospitable in January, and many parts of India are inhospitable in the summertime — they are harsh, difficult places for most people. You're inhospitable to a visitor in your home if you don't offer a drink or ask if they want to sit, or in other ways try to make them comfortable. To be hospitable is to be friendly or pleasant, and when you add the "not" prefix in-, you get inhospitable.
Vocabulary lists containing inhospitable
This Week in Words: April 22 - 27, 2018
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This Week in Words: May 18–24, 2019
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Baccalaureate exams - the French equivalent of A-levels - will continue during the heatwaves, despite some schools having to shut their doors due to inhospitable temperatures inside.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Appreciate the variety of ways a planet might be, and how many of them are, cold, dry, sterile, baked, toxic, inhospitable, and, as far as we can tell, completely devoid of life.
From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2025
And so, on a black Christmas night, with sleet volleying into their faces, columns of men struggled through some of the most inhospitable fields to ever yield up a victory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
You might call the Chargers inhospitable, seeing as the Steelers came into the game averaging 25.3 points.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2025
When he looked back toward the trees, in the direction he had come, it seemed inhospitable, unwelcoming, locked down.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
